On Monday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan met with Pope Francis, as part of Zuckerberg’s trip of Italy, announced following the devastating earthquake that hit the country last week, killing hundreds. After discussing the importance of connecting people in the world without internet access, Zuckerberg presented the Pope with a drone – but, alas, not a… Read More
A Polish company, In Utero 3D, is doing something really sweet. They’re printing 3D models of babies in the womb so blind mothers can feel their children before they’re born and experience the same joy sighted mothers have when viewing ultrasounds. Their project, called Waiting Without Barriers, is based in northern Poland but is available in Europe. For 1PLN or 1 Euro they will… Read More
Sony announced an update to the curious-looking FES Watch with a new design. The FES Watch U features an e-ink display and pairs with your phone. But the surprising part is that the band is also a flexible e-ink display, opening a brand new world of design possibilities — what an exciting time to be alive. Sony is using the FES brand name for this watch as the company wants to emphasize… Read More
Los Angeles startup GOAT (incorporated as 1661 Inc.) has raised $5 million in new venture funding to grow its mobile-only marketplace for used and collectible sneakers. The GOAT app features everything from Adidas’ Yeezys to Nike’s Jordans and Flyknits, in men’s or women’s sizes, new and used condition. Instead of operating like an open marketplace such as E-bay, letgo… Read More
The Brazilian Airbnb for pet-sitting, DogHero, has raised $3.1 million in financing as pet care spending in Brazil starts to take bigger and bigger bites out of consumers’ wallets.
Brazil already accounts for $8.16 billion in global spending for pets, according to Brazilian pet care association Abinpet. And the country’s pet-owners are beginning to open their wallets for more… Read More
Roku’s popular media players will be getting a refresh later this fall, according to a new report, as well as a rebranding which will see the device models renamed from those sporting numerical characters (e.g. Roku 1, Roku 2, Roku 3, Roku 4) to names like “Premiere,” “Ultra,” “Express,” and others. It appears that select devices will also receive… Read More
The Oracle versus Google verdict set a positive precedent for the future of the API economy, but will it last? What is at stake if the decision is reversed? While on the surface Oracle versus Google might seem like a battle for profit between two tech giants, the implications are much more significant. This is a battle for interoperability and the merit-based making of entire markets. Read More
HBO has what looks like an expansive new epic TV series on the way, only this time it’s swapping fantasy, swords and castles for androids, AI and western duds. Westworld is a new sci-fi series coming to the cable network beginning in October, based on the Michael Crichton film from 1973. In the original, a high-tech theme park with western, medieval and ancient Roman-themed sections… Read More
Square is turning point-of-sale companies that at one time could’ve been considered enemies into allies, with two new partnerships with Vend and TouchBistro. Square will now offer Vend and TouchBistro‘s restaurant, retail and other business owner clients full access to Square’s platform, including its hardware, payments infrastructure and financial service offerings (like… Read More
Since 2013, the human wrist has served as the company’s primary domain. That year Fitbit offered up the Flex, a simple wearable designed to keep track of activity and sleep. A year later, it launched the Charge, a more sophisticated take on the space that introduced more advanced connected features like mobile notifications.
The Charge has since become the company’s best-selling… Read More
Fitbit is kicking the week off right with a slew of announcements that affect a large number wearable company’s offerings. The biggest updates are coming to the company’s best selling lines, the Charge and Flex, both of which are getting sequels. The Charge 2 brings a larger display to the manufacturer’s most popular offering, along with a more modular design that makes… Read More
Generally, you don’t see the first spy shots of a new device coming from the company itself, but Microsoft isn’t really following all that many of the rules with its Surface lineup of house-built Windows hardware. That’s why it makes a certain kind of sense that the first look at what could be a Surface Book 2 comes from none other than Microsoft’s own official… Read More
A New York City startup called Helix Sleep Inc. raised $7.35 million in Series A funding to grow its bespoke mattress business, according to cofounder Adam Tishman. With 20 full-time employees today, the company sells directly to consumers online, and via its office and showroom in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. Helix’s mission is to “deliver unprecedented comfort to people… Read More
TechCrunch had the opportunity to speak with Chemi Peres, co-founder of Pitango Venture Capital, about Israel’s tech scene. In the above video, Peres explained why he believes digital health, drones and autonomous driving startups will emerge in the region.
“The digital wave is disrupting industry one after another,” said Peres. Israel has long been known for its work in… Read More
Grocery on-demand service HappyFresh has delivered a mixed bag of news today. Firstly, the company has withdrawn from two markets in Asia as it aims to focus on creating a sustainable business. Second, it has announced an undisclosed amount of funding. Read More
Philips Hue is expanding its line up of smart light devices with a motion sensor. This one is pretty straightforward — when you walk in front of the sensor, your Hue lights will turn on.
What’s different from other motion sensors? It works on battery, so you can put it anywhere around your home, such as the corner of a hallway, a bathroom or a garage. Philips says the device is… Read More
As China’s digital business grows, it’s going to provide more opportunities for many players. Who “gets it” and who doesn’t will certainly not only be a function of “being blocked or not,” but equally (or even more importantly) those who have the right mindset and approach to the China context. Read More
A new player has entered the enterprise productivity race. For decades, Microsoft reigned as the market leader in enterprise productivity — until Google pushed into the space with Google Apps. Now, with the acquisition of Quip, Salesforce is joining Microsoft and Google in the race. Read More
History repeats herself, but she mumbles. Most of the time we can only in retrospect discern what she was trying to say. Sometimes, though, history’s intent is clear. That’s where we stand with the state of connected cars: History is repeating itself. There is a correspondence in the patterns of disruption when you compare the future of connected cars to the past of the… Read More
One of America’s leading experts on the technology of government is Bill Eggers, the executive director of Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights.
Eggers’ great observation, articulated in his new book Delivering on Digital, is that digital technology offers a unique opportunity for American government to reinvent itself. Yes, he acknowledges, the US government often… Read More
